Today, my lab took off for the annual lab hike at Old Rag in the Shenendoah Valley. It's a gorgeous hike, and today is a lovely fall day, so I'm sure the lab is quite enjoying themselves. I, however, am not in attendance.
For starters, I probably would have opted out of going this year to begin with, because there's a 1.5ish mile long rock scramble, and my back has been bothering me lately. And considering that it seems like I'll likely be in physical therapy for the rest of my life, and I really aggravated my back doing some hiking and climbing on my honeymoon, doing a 7 mile hike/rock scramble while it's already bothering me doesn't seem like a great idea.
But then there's the issue of being sick. See, the Lab Plague has moved south, and settled into my chest. You know, the deep, phlegm-in-the-lungs coughing, hacking, and wheezing that makes it sound like you're going to drop dead any moment. The constant feeling like you're going to drown in your own mucus, because a giant glob is stuck in the back of your throat, and you're neither able to cough it up, nor swallow it down, and it's just stuck there, in the way.
And yet, despite the fact that I feel (and look) like complete shit, my PI spent the morning yesterday convincing me that I should go on this hike. That I would be totally find. Until, partway through me telling him that there was no way I was up to it, I started coughing. And coughing. And couldn't stop. And slowly, my PI backed out of the lab, index fingers crossed pointed towards me, warding off my germs, and told me to get the hell out of the lab, because when I drop dead, he didn't want it to be in the laboratory (liability issues, I guess).
And so, this morning, I went into lab early to take care of what I needed to do, and then promptly left (because who is going to know that I took the rest of the day off when everyone else is off hiking?), came home, and have spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled out on the couch with a piping-hot mug of tea and my latest knitting project. And a giant lump of mucus in my throat.
Really, and almost lovely afternoon indeed. And my barely-able-to-breath lungs appreciate it much more than the lab hike, even if I am sad to have to miss out on the hiking opportunity once again.
Friday, October 17, 2008
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Aw, I hope you are feeling better! (your vivid description of your interaction with your advisor PERFECTLY described a similar event between The Boss and me!!)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm sure your hubby has already gotten some for you, Mucinex or some other similar with that Guanifi-whatever stuff will do wonders! (and tons of water, of course)
Feel better soon!!
Ha, ha. Funny that you should mention the guaifenesin.
ReplyDeleteDoctor-Husband is a lazy bum and refused to walk to the CVS for me (which is, literally, NEXT DOOR), but he used his doctor-skills to tell me exactly what I should get (Robitussin Cough & Cold -- contains cough suppressant, expectorant, and decongestant). Turns out, i broke out in hives. Since I've had regular Robitussin without problems, I thought it was the guaifenesin, but Dr. Brilliant refused to believe it, so he made me try straight-up Mucinex.
Itch, itch, scratch, scratch, and some extra wheezing thrown in for good measure.
His punishment? Last night, instead of sleeping on the couch like every other night this week, I moved in bed. And tossed a few extra sneezes in his direction.